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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. E. BUTLER SPRING MOTOR! 5 am/Wu, 3 5 an! E.Builer.

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(No Model.) I 2 sheets sheet 2. E. E. BUTLER.

SPRING MOTOR.

No. 537,670. Patented Apr. 16, 1895.

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Edward E.Bullerr.

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EDWARD E. BUTLER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO ROBERT P. HORTON, OF SAME PLACE.

MOTOR.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,670, dated April 16, 1895.

$eria1No. 518,902. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton, State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Spring- Motor, of which the following is a specifica- The object of my invention is to provide an efficient springmotor that will continue to run any required length of time, it simply being a matter of how many springs compose the motor, it being understood that any spring after having done its work will automatically put its adjoining spring into action and thus throughout the entire series. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front side elevation of my machine; Fig. 2, an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail of ratchet and small gear showing the mechanism as used to cause it to move with its shaft and releasing same when desired. Fig. 4 is a detail of the cone shaped cam and connecting parts, and shows the manner in which it operates on the spring clutch jaws shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the arrangement of the eccentric cams in relation to the toothed wheel G Similar letters refer to similar parts thro u ghout the several views. 7 i

The rectangular piece A and uprights A and A and tie pieces A A and A constitute the framework of my machine.

A stationary shaft B is fastened to the frame and on this shaft, at regular intervals are a number of loose gears O O 0 three being shown on this machine, but there can be any number of these gears according to the length of time it is desired that the motor should run. To the gears O O C there are fastened drums (J O 0 each of which contains a flat coiled spring D, one end of the spring being fastened to shaft B and the other end to the drum. Directly above the shaft B is a revoluble shaft E supported by boxes bolted to the uprights A. Loosely mounted on shaft E are combination gear and ratchet wheels F F F Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 the construction of this combination wheel is as follows: Upon the rim a are gear teeth, and ratchet teeth are out on the rim b. The part upon which the ratchet teeth are cut is counterbored to the depth and diameter shown by the outside dotted lines Fig. 4, a number of projectionsf Fig. 3 being left to engage with the projection f. There is fastened to the shaft E a plate g fitting in the counterbore of the ratchet wheel and to this plate are fastened the springs h each of which in turn has the sliding clutch jaws j fastened to them. The projections fand f are to be so made that they will pass each other when the jaws j are normally held by the springs h.

The revoluble shaft G is secured to the frame in the same manner asis the shaft E. To the shaft G is fastened a pulley G and pinion G Fig. 1. Y The pinion G meshes with the gear G which is secured to the shaft E.

There are three shafts H H H supported by the upright A having their centers all in the same plane. To each of these shafts a wheel H H H is secured. Referring to Figs. 2 and 5 the construction of this wheel is as follows: A slot H is made through the wheel. A bolt H passes through this slot and connects the piece or jaw H to H" that they are held rigidly one to' the other, but not held to the wheel H The piece H is secured to a spring H the normal position of the spring being toward the shaft H. The wheel H has a number of teeth H at regular intervals on its circumference it being necessary as will be shown hereinafter, that the number of teeth on the Wheel 1-1 shall be equal to the number of revolutions that the drums O C C will make to completely wind the spring D around shaft B. A peg M is fixed on the rim of each drum such'that at each revolution of the drum it will contact with a tooth on the wheel H and drive it through a portion of a. revolution equal to the pitch of the teeth H.

It will thus be seen that when the drum has gone through the number of revolutions required to completely Wind the spring, the wheel H will have moved through one revolution. On each side of the wheels H H and H respectively and loosely on the shaft H, are cams I, I, I 1 I, I All of these cams are made from the same pattern, but each one of a pair as I, 1' Fig. 5 is placed on the shaft opposite the other which has the effect of making them right and left handed. The flat springs J J J are so constructed that the lug on each of. them will act as a stop for the lugs on the cams I, 1 1 respectively and the lugs on springsJ J J are turned one hundred and eighty degrees from those on springs J J, J to act as a stop for the lugs on cams I 1 1 The perpendicular rods K, K, K are free to move up or down in the bearings K K The eccentric cams I, I 1 actuate the jaws H H when the springs are being wound and the cams I, I 1 are for the same purpose when the springs are running down.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The parts of the machine are shown just as the winding of the springs begins. The spring in drum 0 is first wound. The conical cam L is in position holding the spring clutch.

jaws j farthest from the center of the wheel F thereby causing the projectionsfand f to contact one with the other Fig. 3. Now when the cam is in this position, if the shaft E be rotated in direction of arrow by means of the crank M, the plate 9 Fig. 3 which is fast to the shaft will rotate and carry with it the gear and ratchet E which being in gear with G will cause it to rotate on the fixed shaft B carrying the drum C around with it. The spring contained in the drum 0 will thus begin to wind around the shaft B. At the beginning of motion the pieces H and ll will be pulled against that portion of the cocentric cam I nearest the center of the shaft H by the spring H When the spring is almost wound, the jaw H will be pushed away from the center of shaft H by that portion of the cam 1 farthest from the center. The jaw H being connected to jaw H, jaw 1-1 will be moved out far enough to catch under the pin M and the rod K will be lifted. When the rod K is moved up, it will cause the end of the cam lever M to move along the slotted guide M pulling with it the conical cam L As the spring jaws j Fig. 3 are released by the can], the springs b will pull the projectionsff apart and release the gear from plate 9. At the instant this operation is taking place the arm N strikes the end of the pawl N and causes it to catch the ratchet. Thus the gear and ratchet F are released from the shaft E and the tension of the spring is held by the pawl and ratchet. When the rod K moves up, the collar N lifts the arm N", which being rigidly connected to rod K raises it an equal amount. As the rod K is raised the end of the cam lever M will move along the slotted guide M and pull the cam L into the spring jaws and secure the gear F to the shaft as was the gear F The spring inclosed in drum C is now ready to be wound and when this is completed the jaw H on wheel H will lift the rod K in the same manner as K was lifted. The cam lever M will move along the lower part of the slotted guide M and the cam L will be thrown out and the gear released. The arm N will have moved up and thrown the pawl N into its ratchet. Coincident with the last named operation the hub of arm N will have acted on arm N and thrown the rod, K up, the cam L into action with the spring clutch jaws and secure the gear F to the shaft E as before. The end of the cam lever M is now in the middle of its travel along the slotted guide M and when the spring in the drum 0 is completely wound, the rod K will be raised as before and the end of the cam lever M will now move in the lower part of the slotted lever M which slot is parallel to the direction of motion. This will instead of throwing the cam L out cause it to remain in the position previously assumed. If the crank M be now released the tension of the spring in drum 0 will rotate the drum and gear 0, the motion will be communicated to shaft E, thence through gears G G to shaft G causing it to revolve, carrying with it the pulley G from which the power is taken. It is to be observed that the jaw I-l has released the pin M and brought the pin M into position to contact with the jaw H at the beginning of the reversed motion of the drum 0 and wheel H Now when the jaw H contacts with the pin H it will push it down carrying with it the rod K, the cam lever M will slide in the slotted guide parallel to the line of motion of the rod and the cam will remain between the spring jaws. When the spring D has given out its power the wheel H will have made a complete revolution in the direction of the arrow. The cam I will now cause the jaw H to move out and catch the pin M and push the rod K into its lowest position. The camLis thrown outand at the sameinstant the arm N presses the hub 50 and rod K, down, throws the cam L, into position to secure the gear F to the shaft and the arm N, throws the pawl up and releases the gear and thus through the entire series until all of the springs are unwound.

It is to be observed that the movements of all the parts are just the reverse in running down from what they were when the springs are being wound.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination, in a spring motor, of a shaft B, a drum and gear fixed one to the other, mounted thereon, said drum containing a flat coiled spring, and having a pin M fixed to its periphery intermediate connections between said drum and shaft E, the shaft E, the gear and ratchet F loosely mounted thereon, plate g fixed to said shaft and contained in said ratchet, spring clutch jaws j secured to plate g, means for operating the jaws and securing gear and ratchet F to shaft E, substantially as herein described.

2. In a spring motor, the combination of a shaft B, a drum containing a flat coiled spring mounted thereon, intermediate connections between said drum and shaft E, the shaft E, the gear and ratchet F loosely mounted thereon, the plate 9 fixed to shaft E and confixed to its periphery, a shaft H, the Wheel H mounted thereon and having pins upon its periphery With which said pin M is adapted to come into contact, and also having the spring pressed pawl or lugs 1-1 1-1", the cams I, I loosely mounted on said shaft H and adapted to actuate the lugs H H, the rod K having the guide M arm N paWlN and cam lever M in the movement of which, said parts are brought into operative action, substantially as herein described.

EDYVARD E. BUTLER.

Witnesses:

H. J. FEoD, A. J ESSOP. 

